The Oracle was still standing in front of me, and I realized I had been trying to figure out what to say for entirely too long.
“Does she know?” I asked.
“I told her before I came to talk to you,” she said.
I wondered how Liv had taken that news. Had she expected it? Had it validated that certainty she’d had when we were kids? Had it dredged up unpleasant memories she hadn’t thought about in years?
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew that Liv hated me. I knew that I had broken her heart, regardless of whether fated mates existed. That day had stayed with me always, and I hated that I had hurt her. It was hard to blame her for constantly avoiding me.
That hadn’t stopped me from keeping an eye on her from afar. Even if I had messed things up with her, I had watched as she turned from the shy, insecure teenager who told me we were mates to the beautiful, confident, bubbly woman that she had become.
I didn’t like the way things had ended between us, and I knew that was my fault and my fault only. I had messed up. Even if I didn’t believe in fated mates, I could have let her down more gently than I did.
If we had to be mates, though, then maybe I would actually have the chance to make things up to her after all. I had the chance to make amends. I had never stopped thinking about her, had never stopped wondering what might have happened between us if I hadn’t told her I had no interest in her, which hadn’t been strictly true in the first place.
This was the chance I had been looking for—a chance to make amends. Might as well start now.
***
Liv had a small apartment on the outskirts of town. I got there a little after dark, when I guessed she would be home. I got out of my car and stared up at the window I knew was hers. Light streamed out, and I thought I saw the flicker of shadows inside.
My stomach twisted into a knot, a sensation I wasn’t accustomed to. I took a deep breath. I shouldn’t have been nervous about this, but after everything that happened, I didn’t know how this was going to go. Still, it needed to be done, both because we were going to have to live with one another from now on and having that hanging over our heads would be a nightmare, and because I wanted to clear the air for the sake of it. It had been almost ten years at this point. As if by unspoken agreement, neither of us had ever broached the subject again, but it was time, considering everything.
I paused at her door. Music spilled out from behind the door, something bright and pop-y, the exact kind of thing that I would expect Liv to enjoy, and the type of thing that normally drove me up the wall.
I only hesitated for a brief moment, then gritted my teeth and knocked.
The music cut off. A second later, the door cracked open, revealing half a face. One large brown eye widened in shock, and the half of her mouth that I could see tightened for just a moment before turning into a tight smile.
“Drake, hi,” she said.
“Hey,” I said.
A long pause filled the air between us as her door remained just cracked.
“What are you doing here?” she finally asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “The Oracle paid me a visit earlier today. She told me she had already told you.”
“Right, right.” Liv glanced away, chewing the inside of her cheek.
Seeing her, even just the sliver visible, was enough to make my wolf stir with interest despite myself. She really was beautiful. Her dark brown eyes sparkled, and the laugh lines around her mouth and eyes complemented her pale skin and full lips.
That was nothing, however, to what her scent did to me. It was floral and light, reminding me of a bright spring day. My wolf snarled, flexing his claws. Being this close to her without touching her seemed to drive him insane.
“So what?” she finally said, breaking the spell her scent had cast.
“I figured we should talk about this,” I grunted. “It’s a bit life-altering, don’t you think?”
“Sure, sure.”
There was another long pause as Liv shuffled behind the door, fidgeting as she peered behind her.
I let out a puff of air as I brushed my hair back. “Look, can I come in? Talking about this around a door isn’t really conducive.”
Her eyes flickered with alarm as her smile faltered for just a moment.
“Umm…” She glanced behind her, then turned back. “This really isn’t the best time.”
